diff --git a/progtest/src/TestRunner.js b/progtest/src/TestRunner.js
index b7685dc3..abbdda1b 100644
--- a/progtest/src/TestRunner.js
+++ b/progtest/src/TestRunner.js
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ module.exports = Class( 'TestRunner',
     'private _runTest'( { description: desc, data, expect }, test_i, total )
     {
         // no input map---#rate uses params directly
-        const result = this._program.rater( data ).vars;
+        const result = this._tryRun( data );
 
         const cmp = Object.keys( expect ).map(
             field => [
@@ -143,12 +143,18 @@ module.exports = Class( 'TestRunner',
             ]
         );
 
-        const failures = cmp.filter( ( [ , ok ] ) => !ok )
-              .map( ( [ field ] ) => ( {
-                  field:  field,
-                  expect: expect[ field ],
-                  result: result[ field ],
-              } ) );
+        const failures = ( result instanceof Error )
+            ? [ {
+                field:  "error",
+                expect: "",
+                result: result.message,
+            } ]
+            : cmp.filter( ( [ , ok ] ) => !ok )
+                .map( ( [ field ] ) => ( {
+                    field:  field,
+                    expect: expect[ field ],
+                    result: result[ field ],
+                } ) );
 
         const succeeded = cmp.length - failures.length;
 
@@ -167,6 +173,30 @@ module.exports = Class( 'TestRunner',
     },
 
 
+    /**
+     * Attempt test case, returning error on failure
+     *
+     * If an error is thrown (e.g. terminating classification), it will be
+     * returned in place of the results.
+     *
+     * @param {Object} data input data
+     *
+     * @return {Object|Error} result or error
+     */
+    'private _tryRun'( data )
+    {
+        // no input map---#rate uses params directly
+        try
+        {
+            return this._program.rater( data ).vars;
+        }
+        catch( e )
+        {
+            return e;
+        }
+    },
+
+
     /**
      * Recursively compare values (scalar, array)
      *
diff --git a/progtest/test/TestRunnerTest.js b/progtest/test/TestRunnerTest.js
index 5a09cfe5..5ca1e741 100644
--- a/progtest/test/TestRunnerTest.js
+++ b/progtest/test/TestRunnerTest.js
@@ -147,4 +147,37 @@ describe( "TestRunner", () =>
             { description: '', data: {}, expect: {} },
         ] );
     } );
+
+
+    // exceptions are thrown by terminating classifications
+    it( "recognizes exception as failure", () =>
+    {
+        const error_msg = [ "test failure 0", "test failure 1" ];
+
+        const program = {
+            rater( data )
+            {
+                throw Error( error_msg.shift() );
+            }
+        };
+
+        return Sut( NullTestReporter(), program )
+            .runTests( [
+                { description: '', data: {}, expect: {} },
+                { description: '', data: {}, expect: {} },
+            ] )
+            .then( results =>
+            {
+                results.forEach( ( { failures }, i ) =>
+                    expect( failures )
+                        .to.deep.equal( [
+                            {
+                                field:  "error",
+                                expect: "",
+                                result: `test failure ${i}`,
+                            },
+                        ] )
+                );
+            } );
+    } );
 } );